Mad God – Reborn

As the sun climbed higher and higher, the heat became increasingly unbearable. Kaia and Ari were trying to find shelter under the shade of their shabby home, lowering their heads every time a foreigner walked past the street. They were always keeping an eye on the children whom they used as hostages against the rest of the villagers.

"Ari…" Kaia whispered, but she could not finish, as the man who had just walked past was seen hurrying back, followed by three others. They immediately scared Kaia, making her face turn deathly pale.

"Something is happening…" Ari held her hand, watching them rush towards the entrance of the village. "Stay here and hide!" He said as he pushed her into the house, hurrying to see what was happening.

"No! Don't leave me alone!" She cried out, and she ended up following him. They climbed up to the roof of the tallest building in town, to the top of the tavern, which, even so, was only two stories tall.

What they saw was a short young man arrive wearing, in the kids' eyes, a luxurious-looking black-and-purple robe. They couldn't make out his features from that far away, but the fact that 6 people surrounded him told them they were about to witness the same thing that had happened to Ari's parents.

"Bring your leader out. I'm w-waiting." A slightly stuttering voice, Wyland's voice, echoed far and wide standing there with a calm expression. What Toobu said was right; Even though he was still a little bit pudgy at the waist, especially compared to the natives of Whiteshore, his well-combed hair and slimmed-down facial features made him a very attractive young man. His stutter was barely noticeable by now, yet it made the cultivators surrounding him think he was doing it because he was already afraid for his life and was trying to hide it.

"We don't like suspicious people coming to our village." One of the guards replied, looking around, trying to see if others were hiding in the tall grass, further away from the village. "Please leave us alone if you are not here with official business. You are clearly not a merchant or an officer of the law! We don't want troublemakers wandering in here!"

"You d-don't get it, d-do you?" Wyland shook his head as an answer. "I d-did not ask you to b-bring your leader out. I o-ordered you."

"You don't have the authority here to order anyone around!" Another man snorted, crossing his arms, releasing his aura at the 6th stage of body refinement.

"I s-see." Wyland nodded, not really bothering with them. "I want to finish this w-without too much b-blood being shed. I want to b-bring you back for i-interrogation, you know." He said, flicking his right hand. From the sleeve of his robe, a metal plate the size of an apple flew out, landing before the group.

They were given zero chance to react as the plate lit up with a formation etched right into it as soon as it left his hand. The people surrounding him found themselves floating upward, unable to feel their own weight, and began spinning in the air as they tried to move. They could only shout insults at Wyland and scream for help.

"D-don't struggle t-too much. S-stay put for now, okay?" He said as he walked into the village, leaving the guys just floating there, unable to move or do anything.

Ari and Kaia were unable to close their mouths as they watched the scene unfold. They were just eyeing Wyland as he calmly walked inside their little town. At one point, their eyes met, and he just smiled, flicking his fingers as two needles flew out, striking them on the neck. At first, both of the kids cried out in fear, but then came the cracking noise, and the collars on both of their necks shattered, breaking into small pieces.

"Wha-?!" Ari blinked, touching his neck, watching Kaia do the same with tears in their eyes.

"You were right, Ari! Your parents did ask for help!" She exclaimed at once.

"Y-yes… y-yes they… d-did!" He nodded, holding back tears, knowing full well that he had just said that to calm Kaia and himself down. That belief was the only thing that kept him composed before Kaia and subdued his own fears and sorrow... but... No. It did not matter anymore.

Of course, Wyland could clearly hear them, shaking his head, lamenting the fact that he did not arrive sooner. His senses already spread and covered most of the village, noting where every person was, easily discerning who had any level of cultivation and who did not.

"Below?" He murmured to himself as he felt the movement underground. "I s-see…" He nodded and let out his voice, echoing in the natives' ears. "G-get away f-from the tavern… q-quickly."

It didn't need to be said twice, as Kaia and Ari quickly climbed off the roof while the rest of the people hurriedly left everything behind. They were rushing away, part excited and part frightened as to what was happening.

"Let's see T-teacher's new toy in action." He murmured as he produced a new formation plate the size of almost himself, straight from the ring he was wearing on his index finger.

It was a gift from Levictus, a fully-fledged spatial ring. Even though it was one of the smallest types, it could still house dozens of formation plates of different sizes. As Levictus said in his first lesson, a formation master has to be ready for everything and anything and can't afford to go out empty-handed. Ever. Wyland even let out a chuckle, remembering his words as Levictus wore a ring on every finger of his hand. The funniest thing was that Elder Levictus was oblivious to the fact of how extravagant he looked to the other Elders, not to mention the disciples. While he was remembering their first meeting, the plate was already spinning, controlled by him without needing his full focus, floating upward and settling above the tavern.

"S-sorry for the damage." He said softly, then activated the formation plate, which immediately stopped spinning and lit up like a second sun.

A completely golden veil descended, surrounding the tavern, and before everyone's eyes, the wooden building started to disintegrate. The wooden planks cracked, snapped, and then turned into sawdust in almost an instant as they whirled towards the sky, forming a ball under the formation, high in the air. Soon, there was only the ground left behind and the opening to the Ironclaw's hiding hole. What came next further stunned everyone as the ground cracked, and, just as before, it was quickly sucked upwards, expanding the 'ball' even further and compressing everything into one huge, round object.

A second later, a scream coming from below echoed out and then died off very quickly. All they could see was a red line swirling upward. Luckily, Kaia did not catch on to what it was, but Ari could tell, and his heart filled with excitement. He was trembling with righteous wrath, enjoying the moment, wishing that the scream of that person had lasted a bit longer, just like his parents'. Soon, more and more bloody streams rose up, with their screams being snuffed out instantly. Then the earth cracked open completely, revealing their hidden base. Now, only one man stood there. He was surrounded by a reddish aura that sometimes spewed flames into the sky. Everything else that was stored underground was already gone, including his people, joining that growing 'ball' in the sky.

"You must be the l-leader of this Ironclaw g-group, yes?" Wyland asked in a calm voice, walking close to the active formation. His arms were held behind his back as he looked into the hole, watching the struggling man.

He was unable to answer as blood flowed from his nose and mouth. He was concentrating with all of his powers to resist the sucking force from above, but it was getting harder and harder as his clothing already disintegrated, and now his flesh was slowly being peeled off. It was like when somebody was peeling a potato… very slowly.

"You r-reached Harmony at a high level, yet you b-became a wretched, soulless b-butcher." Wyland sighed. "I recognize y-your features. Y-you are s-someone from the n-northeast of t-the Empire. W-why are you d-doing this to your fellow c-countrymen?" He shook his head, his voice filled with disappointment. "I'll c-capture you a-alive. You m-must know m-more." He said, snapping his fingers, and the formation stopped immediately, still holding onto the now pretty big ball of ruin.

"FUCK YOU!" The leader shouted, and as soon as he could breathe again, he shot upwards, aiming for Wyland, while his body was burning with red flames all around him.

From the beginning, he could feel that Wyland was still not at the same level as him. He was only a body refinement cultivator, yet the powers he wielded frightened him. He could not afford any hesitation now; if he had something similar up his sleeve, he would not be able to resist it. Spending almost all of his strength just to not be shredded like the rest of his men had already driven him to his limits. His only option was to kill the boy quickly, release the still-living people of his, and escape before anybody else came.

"Too late," Wyland said, shaking his head and raising his two hands. Each of them was holding onto one half of a formation plate that lit up in an ominous, red hue.

It was his Wrath of the Damned spell that he had developed before. By now, it had not only been modified but also greatly improved. This version was not working as a destructive spell, at least not like before. Not in a physical sense. With Levictus's teachings, he was able to reform it, and now it was a spell aimed at destroying one's mind. As soon as the light shone up, the leader of the group immediately fell under its effects, plummeting to the ground. His figure was skidding forward, his partially skinned body ripping apart even further, but he was already completely unconscious.

"You sow what you r-reap," Wyland said, but then paused. “Or… r-reap what you… s-sow? Tsk… I s-screwed t-that up." He murmured with embarrassment as he wanted to look cool. Even now, he was unable to fight his childish side no matter how hard he tried. A part of him was dying for others' attention, even if he didn't realize it. Looking at the man, who was sometimes convulsing, he just shrugged, scratching his head. "The amount of sorrow you are responsible for is your d-downfall."

Previously, his spell was aimed at turning his own rage and suppressed feelings into destructive energy. Now, it focused on the enemy's mind. It was collecting all the hate and anger present in the surroundings, and it brought a never-ending nightmare to those who were struck by it. The still-living, convulsing body of the defeated harmony expert was quietly groaning as his eyes were rolled completely back into his skull. At the same time, inside his mind, he was living through all the things he committed and was assaulted by vengeful spirits, condemning and torturing him for an eternity. Or at least as long as he was alive.

"Elder Ren is going to b-be able to extract i-information out of you. I'll make s-sure you d-don't die until t-then." He said, leaning forward, grabbing onto his hair, and dragging the body to the still-floating comrades of his.

Seeing how their leader was defeated so easily, their fighting spirit had already disappeared. Soon, all of them were tied up and restricted by a formation, unable to speak or move. As everything settled down, people started to come forward and slowly walk up to Wyland, thanking him from the bottom of their hearts. They were bowing to him, making his face blush with a deep tinge of red.

"P-please s-s-s-stop! I-I-I a-a-am n-n-not, I-I-I c-c-came b-b-because o-o-of-" He tried to explain, completely reverting back to his strongly stuttering self, unable to process the reverence he was getting now. To calm his own mind, he decided to distract himself by freeing the many children who had come out of hiding, and he was breaking off their slave collars one by one. Yet it only brought even more people to prostrate themselves before him, not to mention when the fishing boats came back, and he easily captured the rest of the Ironclaw members who were out at sea...

By the time night came, the villagers had a huge bonfire ready, burning at the shore, crying, dancing, and partying. They were celebrating their freedom and their savior, so Wyland was unable to refuse the invitation and had to attend. He was watching the happy villagers sitting by the bonfire, smiling. Some of the captured people even sighed with relief at being left in the formation rather than tortured. It was much better to be stashed away in one of the houses, like some unimportant objects. Especially after some villagers suggested that they should sacrifice them to ease the dead souls of their brethren. For their 'luck,' Wyland was able to persuade them that he needed them alive, as his Master was going to be able to extract information from their minds.

"You are so strong!" Kaia exclaimed, bringing a freshly grilled fish to Wyland with sparkling eyes. She was followed by Ari, who brought a jug of water, looking at Wyland as one would look at one's hero.

"T-thanks." He replied with a blush, taking the fish, but he had already eaten six of them before. Everybody was bringing him one as a gift or to show their gratitude, and he just couldn't say no. "B-but I am not… M-my Master is s-stronger." He shook his head. "She c-can s-summon divine lightning when she is a-angry." He said with a smile, stunning the two children who looked at each other. By then, they indeed believed that Ari was right all along. His parents' souls did find a God and asked her to send help!

"You are still strong!" A charming female voice arrived the next moment.

"Yes! Very, very much so!" Another echoed it, and soon, two young, half-naked women sat down next to Wyland. They were only wearing some thin clothes, covering only their waists, snuggling up to him with their bare chests from both sides.

“W-w-w-what a-are y-y-you d-d-doing?!” Wyland stuttered, freezing up completely as the girls gently caressed his body.

"Hm?" Kaia and Ari tilted their heads at the same time, not really understanding why Wyland was acting like this. It was clear that the young and unmarried girls had already chosen him as the father of their children. Even if he did not stay with them, bearing the child of such a heroic savior would be the envy of the whole village.

"Come on, Kaia! We should not disturb the disciple of God!" Ari said as he placed down the water jug, grabbing onto Kaia's hand, who just nodded and waved her hands towards Wyland.

"We will come and bring you breakfast in the morning! Bye-bye~!” She smiled innocently, following Ari back to her parents to continue celebrating.

"W-w-what d-d-do y-you m-mean?!" Wyland yelped, but he was already pulled up by the girls and dragged into one of the nearby houses. While their eyes were burning with strong flames, Wyland soon realized that another part of his body was also starting to be lit aflame.

"How soft he is! Yet the strength he showed…" One of them whispered, massaging his body, while the other was already stripping Wyland down. He could not help but yelp out at every touch, making the girls giggle constantly.

"Savior, you don't like us?" The other girl whispered, already holding something firm between her fingers.

"Fufu, don't be silly; his body does not lie!"

"I-i-i n-n-never d-d-did-" Wyland stuttered but was muted by a soft kiss, making his body limp, and the young girls' giggling rang out once again.

"Arara, it already splurted… the Savior is so pure…"

Soon, Wyland's weak voice was suppressed by two round mounds pressing onto his face.

In the end... It was a night that he would never forget in his life, and years later, when his two daughters asked how he met their mothers, it would always bring out his old, strongly stuttering self.